Open Defecation: Firm Donates Sanitation Facilities In Oyo State
From Olubunmi Osoteku, Ibadan
As part of efforts to help tackle open defecation through improved hygiene and sanitation system, a leading gaming operator, 22Bet Nigeria, has donated boreholes and modern toilet facilities across major markets in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, with generators also presented to market leaders to aid powering pumping water from the boreholes when the need arises.
The four-day exercise, which forms part of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)of the firm, saw the donation and presentation of the facilities done at the Ojoo Meat market/Ojoo Lagos Park, the Bodija Market/Iwo Park Garage, the Agbowo Park/UI Students Residential Area and the Apete Market close to Apete Garage (Poly Ibadan students area).
In a remark before commissioning the project, the Director General (DG), Oyo State Gaming Board, Olajide Boladuro, said 22Bet is one of the licensed gaming and lottery operators in the state, commending the firm for the effort which he said is in line with the vision of the state government in promoting hygiene and sanitation across the state.
Boladuro stated: “They have been different in the ways they run their business, especially in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility, to their host communities in the state. They have done a lot and this is not the first time they are doing boreholes and renovating toilets across our markets in the capital city that I have commissioned too. This year we have done in markets in Moniya-Akinyele area, and even Gbagi Market and they continue to do it.”
He noted that the choice of marketplaces, especially those with water and sanitary challenges, is significant because it is a good way to ensure sanitation in the communities and address the menace of open defecation, appealing to the traders and beneficiaries to make judicious use of the facilities as a way of encouraging donors, while also imbibing maintenance culture, which has always been a challenge in the country.
The DG used the opportunity to call on other operators and corporate organisations that are licensed by the Oyo State Gaming Board to to emulate the effort of the 22Bet Nigeria in impacting the people, noting that government alone cannot address or meet all the needs of residents across all sectors, but if people come around to support in bits, everyone would see the significance of CSR efforts across the state.
“One of the things this administration is promoting is the discouragement of open defecation and if there are public toilets in places like parks, garages and markets, among other public places, it will help in reducing the menace of open defecation across the state and that is one of the reasons we are proud to associate with the company, especially with the renovation of public toilets in these markets and parks,” he disclosed.
The Head of Marketing, West Africa, Babalola Oladapo, explained that the firm saw the need to commit to giving back to the society as a way of supporting government’s efforts at promoting healthy environment and assured that more markets would, in a matter of time, still be covered in the initiative.
Babalola said: “We intend to continue to assist the government with our own little effort. We have been working in different markets over the years in Ibadan and we want to keep up with the initiative to help the markets.We have been making efforts over time and we are still making more efforts to reach out to more markets. We appeal to all others anticipating our coming to wait for us, we will get to them someday, it is just a matter of time,” he asserted.
Other stakeholders at the event, including market leaders, local government council leadership and traders associations, lauded the firm for the borehole and toilet facilities, saying it would meet the huge need of the traders and motorists at the facility.
